Dear Angie,
It is a positive step to see the private sector involved in marine management and conservation in coral reef areas. That being said, I believe we must be cautious as to the context in which it is being presented. To suggest that the coral reefs in this area are now "insured" against storm damage could prove counter-productive. My fear is that when headlines read "Mexico Launches Pioneering Scheme To Insure Its Coral Reef" it can (perhaps unintentionally) reinforce a narrative that suggests that issues such as water quality, over-fishing and climate change have been wildly overblown. My cynicism is regretful but well earned for I come out of an industry that has promoted itself as being conservation oriented yet has for far too long adhered to short-sighted policy positions which continually and designedly ignore the greatest threats.
Regards,
Steve
Sent from my iPad
Sent from my iPad
> On Jul 26, 2017, at 5:25 AM, Angie <abrathwaite at blue-finance.org> wrote:
>> Hi Steve,
>> I do think you are being a bit too cynical (you did ask)
>> Having an Insurance Company cover a coral reef, even if only against storms and hurricanes … is a huge win I think. To get hotels to contribute to saving corals is also fantastic to my mind. They seem to be looking at only short term fixes, but we now have a “foot in the door” to broader conservation action.
>> I agree with Sean about it being a win-win situation..
>> Angelique
>>>> On 22 Jul 2017, at 20:59, Steve Mussman <sealab at earthlink.net> wrote:
>>>> So I've seen this story pop up repeatedly on social media and I can't help but think that the headline is misleading. Seems to me that this enterprise is more focused on protecting hotels and beaches from storm surge rather than it is about conserving local coral reef ecosystems.
>>>> Is this a sign that I have become too cynical?
>>>>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-20/a-coral-reef-gets-an-insurance-policy-of-its-own>>>> Regards,
>> Steve
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
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